Just behind King’s Cross, Coal Drops Yard is London’s newest shopping quarter: a curated array of boutiques and eateries, neatly slotted into spruced-up Victorian viaducts. Some of London’s coolest creators have taken up residence in the former industrial complex. Pop by for a stroll and a bite, and you might stumble onto a neon art installation or a rope-making workshop.
Banish hazy memories of Bagley’s, the scuzzy club once found here. It’s now a sleek showcase for indie brands and makers, with homewares, clothes, eco-beauty products and even a cold-pressed juice bar.
It’s walk-ins only at the new outpost of this cult tapas joint. Still, it’s worth the wait for a stool at the marble counter. Pull up a seat and feast on gambas rojas, chargrilled lamb cutlets and tortilla, with Rosquillas (Spanish doughnuts) for afters.
The duo behind this label studied at nearby Central St Martins. Now they’re back with a polished store and studio. Browse the leather bags, hand-crafted in East London; we love the dinky mini-Arlington.
Vermouth is now the cool kids’ tipple of choice, and this all-day café/bar is the place to drink it. Founded by chef/restaurateur Anthony Demetre, its menu runs from morning coffee and cannelés to world-class bar snacks.
COS’s vast concept store showcases its clean-lined clothes, but is also a platform for artists and emerging talents. Check out the site-specific light installation by designer Paul Cocksedge.
Like his designs, Smith’s shops fizzle with energy. This one has a wall covered in yen coins and a blue, rubber-floored tunnel. Once you’ve shot the obligatory Instagram, shop the colourful, precision-cut clothes.
An offshoot of Clerkenwell’s coolest barber’s, this place delivers wet shaves, speedy beard trims and the sharpest cuts in the business. Choose from a flat white or session IPA while you get spruced up.
Design maestro Tom Dixon’s enviably sleek HQ, which takes in a showroom, flagship store and Middle Eastern eaterie. In the two-storey restaurant, you’re in chef Assaf Granit’s hands, dining on terrific kubalah bread and luscious bone-marrow shawarma.
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Image credits: © Sive Hugues; © Sive Hugues; © Wolf and Badger; © John Carey; © LPOL; © Vermuteria; © COS; © John Sturrock; © Manifesto; © The Coal Office; © Getty; © Louis Little; © Foot Patrol